Where Do You Stand on the Upcoming ‘Bewitched’ Reboot?

by TVWriter™ Press Service

We admit it. TVWriter™ has been dead set against most reboots on principle for, like, forever, and included in that blanket mindset have been all efforts to bring back, modernize, or even duplicate one of the most beloved TV series of the ’60s, a little bit of witchery called Bewitched.

Not entirely surprisingly, the interracial aspect has gotten people talking on message boards, and not all in a positive light. That being said, for writer/producer Herbie J Pilato, author of several books about Bewitched (Bewitched Forever) and Elizabeth Montgomery (Twitch Upon a Star), it’s actually the perfect representation of the show for today’s audience.

“It [the interracial aspect of the reboot] speaks to what the core message of the show has been all along: prejudice,” [Pilato] explained to Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview. “Samantha and Darrin loved each other despite their differences. She loved him for who he was and not for what he could do for her, because whatever he could do for her, she could twitch up something better. She loved him for him and not his stature or money or position. Meanwhile, he had a strong ethic, which is why he wanted to hold back on the magic. He wanted to work to give her everything she deserved. It was a ’60s mentality, and many thought Samantha was kowtowing to her husband’s will, but the truth of the matter was it was her choice to marry and stay home and care for the household. In this sense, she was one of the most independent women of early television.”

And then there’s this from Herbie J:

The Bewitched theme of prejudice speaks to all minority groups, including the gay and the disabled communities, both of which Elizabeth Montgomery dedicated her time and effort to in many charitable ways. In chronicling the show with several books, I discovered how truly layered and textured and smart Bewitched really was and remains in the 21st Century. Shows like this one matter; what they taught us about ourselves shaped our thoughts, our culture, and our nature, but with Bewitched particularly, it did so with laughter at a time when we needed it the most.

“I really feel that, as an art form, Bewitched is worthy of respect and admiration,” he added, “and that ABC’s new interracial version will take all of it to a new level in the most wondrous and — yes — magical of ways

If a Bewitched fanatic like Herbie J can be so besotted by this new take on the show, well, let’s just say that we’re looking forward to what happens next much more than we were.